Exploring Chablis

150km north of Beaune and its fellow white Burgundies, Chablis stands out on its own as what some say is the purest expression of Chardonnay on the planet.

Coming from the coldest part of Burgundy, Chardonnay is stripped of the fruit you find in warmer regions and shows itself at its crispest, most acidic self. For the Chablis connoisseur it’s more about the texture and less about the flavour profile.

When you’re in Chablis and surrounded by gabled houses with slate roofs, narrow streets and vines everywhere, you will hear repeatedly that the essence of Chablis lies in its ‘acidity & minerality.’

The best way to describe what minerality means is … to try licking a hot stone! It can also be described as flinty or steely.

This minerality comes from some very ancient and unique soils and subsoils that give the Classic Chablis a reputation for being the archetypal example of the influence of terroir on wine.

The vines of Chablis are located in a sedimentary basin. This low-lying zone, once under the ocean, was gradually covered by the material that today make up the soil and subsoil of the Chablis wine region.

In the north of Chablis you find the Portlandian, slightly younger soils, harder and more brittle. These are the soils of Petit Chablis, usually on the plateaus on the top of the hills. They make lighter, fruitier wines and drink well young.

The Kimmeridgean is a geological age in the Upper Jurassic epoch, around 150 million years ago. In Chablis, you find subsoils of gray marl which alternate with bands of limestone and are sometimes very rich in fossils of Exogyra virgula, a small, comma-shaped oyster that is characteristic of the marl from the Middle and Upper Kimmeridgean. It is in this very particular subsoil, which in places breaks the surface, that the wines of Chablis draw their unique character, their purity, their sophistication and minerality. You will find the Premier Cru & Grand Cru vineyards with this soil.

Different vineyards, and even different bits of vineyards, have different proportions of rocks and clay/clay loam in them, and generally the rockier soils make more linear, intense wines, while the deeper soils with more clay make more generous, fleshier wines.

Of course there are other factors at play, The River Serein , south facing slopes , and wooded forests on the top of the hillside north of the Serein , all help moderate the cool climate and create a perfect birthplace for the Grand Cru vineyards. There are 7 climates that cover this hillslope and each has a slightly different slope orientation.

• Blanchot: More austere, with chalky, not clay soil. Floral. Elegant. Delicate
• Les Clos: Less austere, more fruit. Powerful. Firm
• Valmur : More Kimmeridgian limestone giving you more flavour. Powerful. Fruity. Chunky
• Grenouilles: Charming, fruity, and supple
• Vaudesir” Elegant, racy, and finesses
• Preuses: Rich, fleshy, and taut. Aromas of mushrooms and figs
• Bougros: Burly, round and broad. Aromas of mushrooms and figsThe beauty of drinking Chablis is that each glass is telling you the story of its origins, you just have to listen.